Rams renew talks with GM hopefuls

Tuesday

The Rams’ search for a general manager began anew yesterday with Joey Clinkscales and George Paton interviewed as potential replacements for the fired Billy Devaney.

Clinkscales, 47, just completed his fourth season as vice president of college scouting for the New York Jets. Before that, he had served as a national scout and a regional scout for the Jets.

A ninth-round draft pick by Pittsburgh in 1987 out of Tennessee, Clinkscales appeared in 14 NFL games for Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay over two seasons at wide receiver.

Paton has been director of player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings for the last five seasons. He also had stints with the Miami Dolphins from 2001-06 as director of pro personnel and before that was in the Chicago Bears’ front office.

Paton played defensive back at UCLA from 1988-91.

Clinkscales was on the original list of nine general manager candidates from early January that the Rams had been given permission to interview. Among that list, Baltimore Director of Player Personnel Eric DeCosta dropped out of the running almost immediately. Tennessee Vice President of Player Personnel Ruston Webster was promoted to general manager by the Titans before he could be interviewed by the Rams, thus taking himself out of contention.

Philadelphia Director of Player Personnel Ryan Grigson, Atlanta Director of Player Personnel Les Snead and Tennessee Vice President of Football Operations Lake Dawson all were interviewed before the hiring of Jeff Fisher as the Rams’ head coach.

Grigson was hired by Indianapolis as its general manager just a day or two after his Rams interview. Dawson was since promoted to vice president of player personnel by the Titans.

That leaves Arizona Director of Player Personnel Steve Keim, Miami Director of Player Personnel Brian Gaine and Indianapolis Director of Player Personnel Tom Telesco from the original list of nine. Keim is scheduled to interview this week, and the same is expected of Gaine and Telesco.

Rams executive vice president of football operations Kevin Demoff indicated after the Fisher hiring that a couple of names were being added to the GM candidate list, and Paton is one of those new names.

Contrary to some recent reports, Houston Texans scout Mike Ackerley — formerly with the Titans — is not a candidate for the Rams’ GM job.

Neither is another former member of the Tennessee scouting department, Rich Snead.

CHIEFS HIRE SPECIAL TEAMS COACH: The Kansas City Chiefs hired Tom McMahon to coach special teams and cut ties yesterday with three assistants from former head Coach Todd Haley’s staff.

“I’m very blessed to have the opportunity to come to Kansas City and be a part of Romeo’s staff,” said McMahon, who spent the past three seasons coaching special teams for St. Louis.

McMahon’s special teams have been one of the few bright spots for the Rams the last couple of years. St. Louis had the NFL’s third-best net punting average in 2010, and punt returner Danny Amendola led the league in 20-plus-yard returns in 2009 and ’10 combined.

COLTS HIRE ARIANS AS OC: A person familiar with the hiring tells The Associated Press the Indianapolis Colts have hired Bruce Arians as offensive coordinator.

Arians recently left Pittsburgh, where he held the same position. He will join the staff of new Coach Carl Pagano, the person said on the condition of anonymity because the team has not yet announced the hiring.

TENNESSEE FANS LOBBYING FOR MANNING: Peyton Manning remains on the Colts’ roster, and the Titans have three quarterbacks already.

Still, Titans fans of the NFL’s only four-time MVP expecting the injured QB to be released and healthy enough to play are starting an ad campaign in Indianapolis hoping to convince Manning to return to Tennessee.

Todd Mayo and his brother, Griffin, spent the weekend designing the website www.comehomepeyton.com and recorded a couple parody songs, including one to the Eminem hit “Lose Yourself.”

The site went live yesterday and had generated $700 in donations by midday. A 30-second commercial is planned for an Indianapolis radio station during the Super Bowl.

Manning remains very popular in Tennessee, where he played in college and many children are named Peyton after the quarterback by parents who still wear his Volunteers’ jersey or his Colts’ No. 18.

CALDWELL LANDS WITH RAVENS: Jim Caldwell is back in the NFL, this time as the Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach.

The 57-year-old Caldwell was hired yesterday by the Ravens. The appointment comes less than two weeks after Caldwell was fired as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts following a 2-14 season.

Simpson has been under investigation since September when agents from California tracked a package shipped to his northern Kentucky home. They said it contained 2½ pounds of marijuana. Authorities said a search of Simpson’s home also turned up 6 more pounds of marijuana, smoking pipes and scales.

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